The research firm IHS predicts that 1.8 million people will access health and wellness care via electronic and video links by 2017, and the Department of Health and Human Services showed its commitment to telehealth in September by donating $5.3 million to set it up in rural areas. Meanwhile, drug store chains like Rite Aid and Thrifty White have been making investments of their own. On Oct. 9, services provider MDLive announced that it appointed Travis Stork, co-host of the Emmy award-winning CBS series "The Doctors," to its medical advisory board. Stork recently took the time to talk to DSN about telehealth and what it means for pharmacy retailers.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology released a draft roadmap toward the safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information.

Several of the nation’s largest healthcare systems and payers on Tuesday announced a powerful new private-sector alliance dedicated to accelerating the transformation of the U.S. healthcare system to value-based business and clinical models.

The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday awarded $36.3 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 1,113 health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and seven U.S. Territories.

The Department of Health and Human Services last week published a final rule that allows healthcare providers more flexibility in how they use certified electronic health record technology to meet meaningful use for an EHR Incentive Program reporting period for 2014.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced new timing to implement the Medicaid average manufacturer price-based federal upper limits for prescription medications, a move that has been applauded by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. The FULs were expected to be finalized in July.

Citing the need for a one-year transition period for states to implement the July average manufacturer price-based federal upper limits, or FULs, nine Senators are urging Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to consider the challenges that states will face when the final Medicaid AMP-based FULs are published.

In what could turn into a significant change of how retail pharmacy supplies hydrocodone combination products, the Drug Enforcement Administration last week published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to move HCPs from Schedule III to Schedule II, as recommended by the assistant secretary for health of the Department of Health and Human Services and as supported by the DEA’s evaluation of relevant data.

One of the principles of association leadership says that an association should reflect the membership. Hopefully, NACDS’ approach to member service has resembled the can-do spirit of community pharmacy during the launch of exchange-based insurance.

Johnson & Johnson on Monday announced that Mark McClellan, senior fellow in economic studies and director of the Initiative on Value and Innovation in Health Care at the Brookings Institution, will join the company's board of directors on Oct. 15. McClellan will serve on the regulatory, compliance and government affairs committee, as well as the science, technology and sustainability committee.

Flu vaccination coverage in children increased dramatically during the last season, with smaller increases in coverage among adults, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to resolve conflicts that arose when it issued regulations under a law that establishes privacy rules for health information technology has drawn applause from a specialty pharmacy organization.

Nurse practitioners are increasingly playing a key role in helping patients stay on track in taking their medications as prescribed, with nearly half of NPs indicating that the time they spend on patient education has increased over the past two years, according to Manhattan Research’s “Taking the Pulse Nurses 2013” study.

Highlighting the important role that NPs play in today’s healthcare system is essential as millions of uninsured Americans come into the insurance fold in 2014 due to health reform amid a growing shortage of primary care physicians.

The Department of Health and Human Services is setting aside $5.3 million to expand health information technology — particularly telehealth — in rural areas in order to improve mental health services for veterans.

Telehealth represents one of the best ways to expand healthcare services to underserved areas while also lowering costs by expanding the area a health professional can cover from a single location.

Rite Aid chairman and CEO John Standley will take part in an event with Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius to announce new resources to help customers prepare for Obamacare, according to published reports.

Poll

Poll

Which of the current U.S. Presidential hopefuls do you think would be best for your business?

Hillary Clinton

Jeb Bush

Donald Trump

Ted Cruz

Ben Carson

Scott Walker

Marco Rubio

Rand Paul

Chris Christie

Mike Huckabee

SPECIAL REPORTS

Pharmacy’s battle for recognition continues

Fifty years ago this summer, President Lyndon B. Johnson secured his place in history by signing into law the legislation that created Medicare and Medicaid. To commemorate the anniversary, Drug Store News has put together an exclusive report on the effect that Medicare and Medicaid have had on the retail pharmacy industry and how it has transformed the role of the pharmacist. more...

IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue, DSN profiles Rite Aid and how the company is achieving a vision to become a retail healthcare company that delivers a higher level of care to its communities; takes you on a tour of Sears; offers insight into millennial shoppers and more. Click here to view the issue.